If your child got something in their eye, was scratched or poked, or had a chemical splash, get clear next steps fast. Learn what to do at home, how to flush or rinse the eye safely, and when to seek urgent care.
Start with what happened to your child’s eye to get personalized first aid guidance, including when home care may help and when your child should be seen right away.
Stay calm and keep your child from rubbing the eye. The right first step depends on the injury. If something like dust or sand is in the eye, gentle rinsing can help. If the eye was scratched, poked, or hit, avoid pressing on it. If a chemical got in the eye, begin flushing right away and seek immediate medical help. Eye injuries can look mild at first, so it helps to watch for pain, tearing, trouble opening the eye, blurred vision, or ongoing redness.
If your child gets dust, dirt, or another small particle in the eye, have them blink several times and use clean lukewarm water or saline to rinse the eye. Do not let them rub it. If the object does not come out, or if pain continues, seek medical care.
A scratched eye can cause pain, tearing, redness, and light sensitivity. Do not try to remove anything stuck in the eye, and do not patch it unless a clinician tells you to. Keep your child from rubbing the eye and have the injury checked, especially if symptoms are more than mild.
If your child gets chemical in the eye, start flushing immediately with clean water and continue for at least 15 minutes unless a medical professional tells you otherwise. Remove contact lenses if present and easy to remove. Call Poison Control or seek urgent care right away.
You can use a gentle stream from a faucet, shower, cup, or clean squeeze bottle. Aim the water from the inner corner outward so material washes away from the other eye.
Have your child look in different directions while rinsing. For younger children, it may help to wrap them in a towel and have another adult assist. Try to keep the rinse gentle but steady.
If your child still feels like something is in the eye after rinsing, has ongoing pain, cannot open the eye, or has vision changes, they should be evaluated promptly.
Seek immediate help if a chemical got in the eye, something is stuck in the eye, the eye was hit hard, there is bleeding, the pupil looks unusual, or your child has sudden vision changes.
Contact your child’s doctor if there is persistent redness, tearing, pain, swelling, light sensitivity, or if you think your child may have a scratched eye.
If a small amount of dust was rinsed out and your child quickly feels better, home observation may be reasonable. If symptoms return or do not improve, get medical advice.
Have your child avoid rubbing the eye. Try blinking and gently rinse with clean lukewarm water or saline. If the object does not come out, or if pain, redness, or tearing continues, seek medical care.
Use clean lukewarm water and rinse gently from the inner corner outward. Keep the eyelids open as much as possible and continue long enough to wash out the irritant. For chemical exposure, start flushing immediately and continue while getting urgent help.
Do not let your child rub the eye. Do not try to remove anything embedded in the eye, and do not press on it. A scratched eye should usually be checked by a medical professional, especially if there is pain, tearing, or light sensitivity.
Begin rinsing the eye right away with clean water and keep flushing for at least 15 minutes unless told otherwise by a medical professional. Remove contact lenses if easy to do. Call Poison Control or seek urgent care immediately.
Get help right away for chemical exposure, a hard blow to the eye, an object stuck in the eye, bleeding, severe pain, trouble seeing, or if your child cannot open the eye. Even milder injuries should be checked if symptoms do not improve.
Answer a few questions about what happened, your child’s symptoms, and what you’ve already tried to get clear next steps for first aid and when to seek care.
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Eye Injuries
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